Episomal lentiviral vectors confer erythropoietin expression in dividing cells.

Lentiviral vectors are now widely considered as one of the most common gene delivery tools for dividing and non-dividing cells. However, insertional mutagenesis has been found in clinical trials with retroviral vectors, which poses a safety risk. The use of non-integrating lentiviral (NIL) vectors, which avoid integration, eliminates the insertional mutagenesis problem.

Diagnostic value of CYFRA 21-1 and CEA for predicting lymph node metastasis in operable lung cancer.

Tumour markers are used extensively for the management of lung cancer, including diagnosis, evaluating effectiveness of treatments, monitoring recurrence after therapy and for predicting prognosis. However, there exists a knowledge gap regarding potential quantitative correlations between tumour marker levels and the extents of lymph node involvement in primary lung cancer. The current study is comprised of 139 lung cancer patients scheduled to undergo surgical operation.

Plasma D-dimer value as a predictor of malignant lymph node involvement in operable non-small cell lung cancer.

Fibrin deposition and remodelling of the extracellular matrix are important early steps in tumour metastasis. The D-dimer value is an indicator of intravascular fibrin formation and degradation. Thus, the D-dimer value may be a predictor of the malignant involvement of lymph nodes in operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.